Vacuum cleaner floor tool



' INVENTOR. .705 46% 6a Jeoz zarcf.

May 3, 1932. J. E. LEONARD VACUUM CLEANER FLOOR TOOL Filed Jan. 4, 1930Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH EARL LEONARD, OFBERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO AIR-WAY ELECTRIC APPLIANCECORPORATION, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE VACUUM CLEANERFLOOR TOOL Application filed January 4, 1930. Serial No. 418,471.

My invention, relating as indicated to combination fioor brushes andpolishers, has specific reference to floor brushes and polishers whichare in the form of an attachment adaptable to be removably secured tothe suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner.

In order that a combined floor brush and polisher may expedientlyaccomplish the pur- I A pose for which it is designed it is necessary'thatthe tool be readily adaptable to accom plish either the brushing orthe polishing operation without the necessity of a bothersome attachmentor interchange of parts, which is a source of great inconvenience aswell as a hindrance to the efiicient operation of the tool. Brushing andpolishing attachments as now applied to the suction nozzle of vacuumcleaners require an interchange of the several tools to accomplish thesepurposes, and even in the use of combined brushing and polishingattachments it is necessary to bodily remove such attachment and thenreplace it on the suction nozzle in a reversed position. It is an objectof my invention to 25 provide a combination brush and polishing devicewhich can be removably secured to the suction nozzle of a vacuum cleanerand when so secured in one position need not be removed when it isdesired by the operator of the device to change from a brushing to apolishing operation, or vice versa. Other ob- ]ects of my invention willappear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then; consists .of the means hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawings and thefollowing description setting forth in detail certain mechanismembodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, butone of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the inventionmay be used. In said annexed drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of 'afavorite type of vacuum cleaner showing the attachment comprising myinvention secured thereto; Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary side elevationsofisuction nozzles in different positions showing the attachmentcomprising my invention secured thereto; Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary transverse sectional view of the nozzle illustrated in Figs.2 and 3; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation of the nozzle shownin Fig. 2.

l-tcferring more specifically to the drawings and more especially toFig. 1, the vacuum cleaner here shown for purposes of illustrationconsists of a motor 1, a fan casing 2, to which are secured the inletconduits 3 and 4:. The conduit 4 here shown serves as a handle by meansof which the tool is manipulated and conduits 3 and 4 are selectivelyplaced in communication with the fan chamber by means of the valveelement 5. The fan chamher 2 has an air discharge connection 6 incommunication therewith which'is adapted to secure the neck 7 of thedust collecting and,

air filtering unit 8. The unit 8 is removably secured to the hande 4: bymeans of the clamps 9.

The terminal portion of the air intake conduit 3 as most clearly shownin Fig. 4 has a circumferential flange 10 formed integrally therewithwhich is secured by the collar member 11 to the annular ring 12. Theannular ring 12 is rigidly secured to the body of the suction nozzle'l3by means of the rivets 14.

The annular member 12 has a circumferenmember 12 the body 13 of thesuction nozzle is free to revolve with respect to the intake conduit 3?As most clearly shown in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, the attachmentcomprising my invention consists of longitudinal elements 21 and 22which are angularly disposed and rigidly secured by means of thesupporting members 23 and 24. The member 21' will preferably be in theform of a brush 'unit which has a plurality of tufts of bristles -25rigidly secured therein and extending therefrom to the floor surface, asshown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. The member 22 will preferably be in the formof a polishing unit, which may consist of any material, which issuitable .for this purpose.

The brushing and polishing attachment has secured thereto a plurality ofclamping means 26, most clearly shown in Fig. 4 by means of bolts 27.The clamping members 26 have hooked ends 28 which are adapted to beengaged by the aperture formed therefor in the forward lip of thesuction nozzle. The upper terminal portion of the clamp member 26 isformed into a laterally extending element 29 which has an apertureformed centrally thereof adapted to engage the screw head 30. By meansof the clamping members 26 the attachment comprising my invention issubstantially and rigidly supported on the body of the suction nozzle.The single bolt 27, by means of which each of the clamping means 26 issecured to the brushing and polishing attachment enables such attachmentto be secured to the body of the nozzle with either one of the surfacesin the floor contacting position.

p In the operation of this device the attachment is secured to thenozzle in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4 with the brushing memberextending downwardly when the'nozzle is in the position illustrated bythis figure. After the wax has been thoroughly scrubbed into the floorsurface the handle 4 is tipped down and the entire tool pivoted on thesupporting wheel 31 so that the nozzle 13 is lifted from the floor.Nozzle 13 is then turned to the opposed normal position, as shown inFig. 3, and in this position the waxing element 22 is in normal-relationto the floor surface which is to be polished. The angular disposition ofthe two elements comprising the attachment enables the element 22 tooccupy a normal position with respect to the floor over which the toolis operated when the nozzle has been turned to the position shown inFig; 3. Without this angular displacement of the two members of theattachment a proper contact between the polishing tool and the floorcould not be ob tained unless the entireattachment was removed from thenozzle and replaced in inverted position.

The arrangement of the various parts of the brushing and polishingattachment comprising my invention afiords a means for accomplishing theentire waxing and polishing operation of hard wood floors and the likewithout in any wa necessitating the removal or readjustment 0 an of theoperating parts of the mechanism. It will be noted that a differentarrangement of the several parts comprising my invention may be madewithout departin from the principles thereof, and the brushing andpolishing elements here chosen for purposes of illustration may well besupplanted byother elements to accomplish like purposes.

1 Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be em loyedinstead of the one explained, change e'ing made-as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the follow- .ingclaims or theequivalent of such stated face of said nozzle and theotherof said elements extending away from said face and away from said mouthat an acute angle to said face whereby when the nozzle is in normalworking position said first mentioned element will contact the floorandwhen the nozzle is in an inverted position, said other element willcontact the floor.

2. In combination with a vacuum cleaner including .a suction nozzlemounted for swivelling movement about an axis that is inclined relativeto the mouth of said nozzle, a floor tool attached to said nozzle andextending longitudinally thereof, said floor tool including a brush anda polishing element,

one of which lies substantially parallel to the swivelling movementabout an axis that is ill-- clined relative to the mouth of said nozzle,a floor tool attached to said nozzle and extending longitudinallythereof, said floor tool including a pair of floor contacting elementssub-tending relative to each other an obtuse dihedral angle, one of saidelements being positioned in a plane at right angles to the plane of thenozzle mouth and the other of said elements extending away from theforward face of the nozzle and away from said mouth at an obtuse angleto the plane of said mouth whereby when the nozzle is in normal workingposition said first mentioned element will contact the floor and whenthe nozzle is in an inverted position, said other ele- 1 mentwillcontact the floor.

4. In combination with a vacuum cleaner including a suction nozzlemounted for swivelling movement about an axis that is inclined relativeto the mouth of said nozzle, .a floor tool attached to said nozzle andexw I n tending longitudinally thereof, said; floor tool including apair of floor contacting elements sub-tending relative to each other anobtuse dihedral angle, one of said elements being positioned in aplaneat right angles to the plane of the nozzle mouth and the other 4 ofsaid elements extending away from the forward face of the nozzle andaway from said mouth at an obtuse angle to the plane of said mouthwhereby when the nozzle is in normal working'position said firstmentioned element will contact the floor and when the' nozzle is in aninverted position, said other element will contact the floor, theworking a face of said other element lying in a plane sub-tending anacute dihedral angle with the s plane'of said mouth. k 5. In combinationwith a vacuum cleaner including a suction nozzle mounted for swivellingmovement about an axis that is v inclined relative to the mouth of saidnozzle, a floor tool attached to said nozzle and ex-' tendinglongitudinally thereof, 'said floor tool including a pair of floorcontacting ele-- 5 ments one of which ispositioned to contact the floorwhen the nozzle is in normal working position, and the otherof saidelements extending away from the face of the nozzle and away from thenozzle mouth at an acute angle to said face whereby when the nozzle isinverted, said other element willcontact the floor. g y 1 2Sgigned byme, this 27th day of December,

7 as JOSEPH EAR LEONARD.-

